"I am the Martial Soul Command Lord, Bu Eunseol."
Bu Eunseol, entering with majestic steps, brought his hands together politely toward the gathered personnel.
"First, I express my deep gratitude to you for attending the Grand Assembly of All Under Heaven hosted by this Command Lord."
Considering the status of the Martial Soul Command Lord.
The people attending the council right now were truly insignificant figures, yet.
He maintained a supremely polite attitude.
"The reason I have invited the senior leaders of each faction all this way, braving a thousand li, is to resolve the incidents occurring in the current martial world in a single stroke."
The core members gathered in the meeting room wore bizarre expressions.
They had no decision-making authority whatsoever.
Even if they held councils for hundreds of days, there was nothing they could decide.
They were merely messengers who would convey the contents of the council to the heads of their affiliated factions.
"There is probably no one who does not wish to resolve the various incidents that have occurred this time."
Abbess Hyeongong opened her mouth.
However, the silence continued even after that.
At least Abbess Hyeongong, along with her pride as a member of the orthodox path, was a figure with some degree of status and seniority within the Emei Sect.
That was why she had merely played along like this.
The martial artists of the other factions were not even seriously participating in the council, merely intending to listen to the story.
"This corps has already completed all investigations, and we have found the culprits."
At Bu Eunseol's words, Abbess Hyeongong's eyes widened.
"Do you mean the culprits who kidnapped the children?"
"Both."
Bu Eunseol spoke firmly.
"We have even found those who circulated the counterfeit money."
"Who on earth is it?"
As Abbess Hyeongong leaned in close to the table and asked urgently,
"I would like to tell you straightforwardly, but."
Bu Eunseol, looking at the martial artists sitting in the meeting room, shook his head.
"The figures attending the council right now are, after all, nothing more than messengers capable of simply conveying the results of the council."
"Anyone can just say words."
At that, the Soul-Hook Pavilion Master of the black-path alliance, Yeon Musang, shook his head.
"Wouldn't the sects move only when there is definitive information?"
At Yeon Musang's words, the gathered people all nodded with mocking smiles.
In reality, there was no way to know whether Bu Eunseol had evidence or not.
Even if he did, all they had to do was obtain the information coming from his mouth.
There was absolutely no need for them to receive the command of the Martial Soul Command Lord or cooperate with him.
"Definitive information, you say."
Yeon Musang's attitude and tone were arrogant and insolent, but Bu Eunseol conversely smiled.
"It seems you do not trust this Command Lord's words."
"Saying I do not trust you is a bit harsh, but."
Yeon Musang spoke confidently.
"My point was that the various sects will only move when there is definitive evidence."
"I see. I understand what you mean."
Suddenly, Bu Eunseol spoke firmly.
"Those who have come from factions attending without authority, leave this corps immediately from this moment on."
The inside of the meeting room turned icy cold.
Because those words ultimately meant he was going to kick out everyone who had entered this Cosmos Hall.
"If you do that, wouldn't this Grand Assembly end up being ruined in the end?"
At that time, the White Lotus Hall Master, Jeong Soun, clicked his tongue and spoke.
"This matter is not something to be handled with emotion. Are we not the only ones attending the Grand Assembly right now?"
He looked around the room and spoke.
"You must share the information obtained by the Death Shadow Corps so that you can at least receive the help of each faction."
Those words were an undeniable truth.
The Death Shadow Corps had paid an enormous cost and mobilized a large amount of manpower to host this grand council.
Even if those attending had no decision-making authority and only wanted the information he possessed.
What if he sent them all back like this?
It would mean he had wasted a huge amount of money in vain, turning him into the laughingstock of the world.
"I don't know about the others, but I thought the Martial Alliance would be grasping the situation."
Bu Eunseol clicked his tongue and spoke.
"It seems the Mankyeong Hall has absolutely no interest in this matter at all."
"What does that..."
At that moment, a murmuring sound was heard from outside, followed by Yoo Unryong's voice.
"The Sect Leaders of Wudang, the Beggars' Sect, and the Mount Hua Sect are entering."
With that voice leading, his voice continuously echoed.
"The Martial Soul Society Leader, the Azure Sky Alliance Leader, and the Patriarchs of the Eight Great Families have arrived at this corps."
In an instant, the complexions of the figures in the meeting hall turned ashen.
The forces of the orthodox path who had paid no attention to the Grand Assembly and had made no declaration of attending.
Had suddenly barged into this place all at once?
"Guide them to the meeting room in the Suppressed Demon Pavilion inside."
Bu Eunseol, who commanded in a low voice, looked around at the gathered personnel and spoke.
This place was not a meeting room...
It was merely a location meant to show off the majesty of the Death Shadow Corps to those unable to properly attend the Grand Assembly.
"Command Lord."
Yeon Musang spoke urgently.
"How about extending the council period a little?"
He pleaded.
"We will convey the message once so that the Alliance Head can visit again."
Then Abbess Hyeongong of the Emei Sect also nodded.
"That is correct. If it is such a matter, the Sect Leader of our faction will naturally reconsider."
The other experts of the unorthodox path or the black-path alliance each nodded as well.
"If you extend the council period, we will also return and convey the message."
Bu Eunseol snorted.
What if he gave in to their disrespect and formally sent invitations again?
The authority of the Martial Soul Command Lord would plummet to the ground.
Because it would be equivalent to admitting that the Martial Soul Command Lord could be ignored and that they could do as they pleased at any time.
"There is no need."
"Command Lord."
At that time, the White Lotus Hall Master, Jeong Soun, spoke urgently.
"Wouldn't the matter be resolved much easier if there was the help of our Alliance? Please give us some time."
If most of the orthodox factions attended the Grand Assembly, but the Martial Alliance did not attend?
There would be no greater humiliation than this.
When Bu Eunseol did not give any answer, Jeong Soun eventually begged.
"If it is a messenger eagle, we will be able to make contact in a day or two, and the senior leaders will arrive here within five days at the earliest."
"Impossible."
Bu Eunseol, snorting, spoke coldly.
"We gave notice in advance, and the senior leaders of the other sects have already arrived here."
"Command Lord."
"You are all messengers without decision-making authority. Since you have no authority to attend the council, return."
When a firm answer returned, Jeong Soun shouted out of spite.
"When you knew perfectly well in advance that the messengers of each faction were coming, why on earth did you let us enter Majeon?"
The Death Shadow Corps had selected the figures of the sects that had only sent messengers and let them into Cosmos Hall.
And they had sent the figures who sincerely intended to attend the grand council to the Suppressed Demon Pavilion.
In other words, they had known in advance which sects had made the messengers attend and who those figures were.
If they were going to turn them away at the door like this, they could have just chased them away from the start without letting them into Majeon.
Did they specifically bring them inside Majeon just to humiliate them?
"There are two reasons."
Bu Eunseol smiled.
"Because this Grand Assembly can only be resolved if the factions that can sincerely cooperate join forces."
Then he slowly turned his body.
"Listen to the second reason from the Great Corps Leader."
Leaving only that single remark behind, Bu Eunseol.
Turned around without lingering attachment and headed toward the Suppressed Demon Pavilion, where the real grand council was being held.
"The second reason is simple."
At that time, Yoo Unryong spoke.
"This matter must be resolved by the entire martial world joining forces. Since this crisis originated from the martial world, the Emperor himself has issued an imperial decree for the martial artists to unite and settle it."
"There is a contradiction in your words."
Jeong Soun spoke with a face bursting with anger.
"If that is the case, shouldn't you naturally let us attend as well?"
"Is that not why we opened the Grand Assembly."
Yoo Unryong replied nonchalantly.
"However, places like the Martial Alliance, Emei, the black path, and the unorthodox path sent messengers instead of their senior leaders."
At that moment, the expressions of the people in the meeting hall stiffened.
Although it was an affair the Emperor himself had issued an imperial decree for, the actual senior leaders of each faction had not shown themselves.
Bu Eunseol had already mobilized an unimaginable intelligence network to uncover the identities of the organization that circulated the counterfeit money and the faction that kidnapped the children.
And to resolve it, he had expended tremendous manpower and cost to even prepare the Grand Assembly.
Yet all the senior leaders of the factions had avoided responsibility and sent only messengers as if mocking him.
The factions they belonged to were now placed in a situation where they had no choice but to unilaterally accept the results of the grand council.
"When the results of the council come out, we will hand down the contents to be delivered to each sect."
Yoo Unryong smiled and turned his body.
"Then, please wait outside Majeon."
Once even he left Cosmos Hall, the complexions of the people turned ashen.
―From now on, we will have to receive the command of the Martial Soul Command Lord without being able to let out a single peep.
The reason they were even more driven crazy and bursting with anger was.
Even if they followed the results of the grand council without a word of complaint...
They could not avoid the criticism that they had turned a blind eye to the greater cause due to personal emotions and arrogance.
* * *
Suppressed Demon Pavilion Grand Meeting Room.
There, Bu Eunseol, along with the Martial Soul Society strategist Dam Yuyeon and the Azure Sky Alliance Chief Steward Gongsun Dankyung.
And the leaders of the Nine Great Sects and the Beggars' Sect, Emei alone excepted, and the Eight Great Families were gathered.
When declaring this grand council, Bu Eunseol had clearly stated thus:
―The leaders of each faction must attend the grand council alone without fail.
There is no need to notify attendance in advance; if you intend to attend, arriving at this corps in person on the day of the council will suffice.
This was a stratagem to exclude those who intended to completely ignore him, such as the Martial Alliance and Emei Sect.
Because the heads of factions are always exposed to the threat of assassination, their whereabouts are kept strictly secret even within the faction.
Since they secretly visited Majeon alone like this to notify their attendance...
Even if the Martial Alliance or other intelligence organizations kept a close watch on the movements of the senior leaders.
There was no way for them to notice their tracks in advance.
"....Ultimately, the ones who kidnapped the children were the Jungson family, among the legendary Three Families of the martial world."
Bu Eunseol shared everything investigated thus far with the heads of each faction inside the meeting room.
"How on earth did you obtain such information?"
When the Patriarch of the Namgung family, Namgung Jeong, asked suspiciously, Bu Eunseol answered.
"We accidentally captured a figure of the Jungson family and extracted the information."
In reality, it was an impossible feat.
The reason the Three Families could hide their identities for generations was because of the ancient Mind-Seizing Secret Art and seals they placed upon their subordinate disciples.
However, Bu Eunseol caused a crack in that ironclad seal with the power of the Poison Saint.
In the process of chasing the tracks of the White Snow Troupe that Soho had informed him about, he captured the troupe leader alive.
Through him, he uncovered the main base of the Jungson family.
Naturally, interrogation was impossible.
Because they were under a seal that would cause their heads to explode on their own the moment they opened their mouths.
Bu Eunseol put him in a state of suspended animation, then operated the Cheonui Heart Secret to read his body like reading a scripture.
From the circulation method of inner energy, the foundation of his mental cultivation method, down to the process of physically training his body, he absorbed every piece of information contained within those minute flows without leaving anything out.
―The Jungson family must have artificially nurtured the One Hundred and Eight Stars based on a specific climate, environment, and unique drugs.
Traces of extreme cold energy, rare poisonous herbs, and specific minerals were distinctly discovered in his body.
In the end, he was a being artificially created through a special environment and drugs.
Once the analysis of the traces remaining in his physical body was complete, he only observed the man without saying a word this time.
The man had minor habits, such as showing signs of anxiety at specific times or drawing bizarre patterns in the empty air with his fingers.
Bu Eunseol was able to learn their lifestyle or daily routine through those unconscious actions and habits.
Eventually, not long after, the man undid his own acupoints and committed suicide.
However, Bu Eunseol had already combined all the clues and raided the experiment location.
While simultaneously revealing that the main base of the Jungson family was the numerous theater troupes spread throughout the Central Plains.
He obtained evidence that they were traveling all over the country, continuously kidnapping children with special constitutions.
Capable of inheriting the power of the One Hundred and Eight Stars.
At that time, the Sect Leader of the Wudang Sect, Yeong Cheongja, asked.
"Then what about the counterfeit money incident?"
He spoke with an exceedingly serious expression.
"Unless we resolve that matter, we will not be able to stop the intervention of the imperial palace."
Bu Eunseol nodded toward Yoo Unryong.
At that, Yoo Unryong distributed one book to each of the sect leaders of the factions.
"This is the evidence of the evil deeds the Jungson family has committed over generations."
In the book, it detailed that the Jungson family had kidnapped numerous children.
To conceal that fact, they primarily targeted poor, powerless commoners or vagrants.
It was also written in detail that they had continuously created the One Hundred and Eight Stars through cruel experiments.
"To think the legendary Three Families was a place committing such evil deeds."
The senior leaders in the meeting room shook their heads in disbelief.
The reason the Three Families of the martial world could become legends was not only because their whereabouts and power were mysterious.
But because they had prevented crises in the martial world several times.
But to find out they had been repeatedly kidnapping children and conducting cruel experiments over generations?
"However, there is no evidence regarding the counterfeit money."
Yeong Cheongja, flipping through the book, tilted his head.
The counterfeit money incident was just as important as the child kidnapping incident.
Because it had caused the Emperor to be enraged, creating a situation where the imperial palace would intervene in the affairs of the martial world.
Yet no matter how much he searched, there was no evidence concerning the counterfeit money in the book.
"That is correct."
Bu Eunseol nodded.
"There is no evidence concerning the counterfeit money."
Then he uttered an exceedingly shocking statement.
"Because the counterfeit money incident was not committed by them in the first place."
"What does that..."
Bu Eunseol, looking around at the personnel in the room, took a deep breath.
Then he spoke with utter solemnity.
"The counterfeit money incident was fabricated by me."
In an instant, the inside of the meeting room froze.
From the perspective of the martial artists, a far more severe issue than the child kidnapping incident was precisely the circulation of counterfeit money.
Not only had it brought the conflict between the imperial palace and the martial world to its peak, but the entire martial world had suffered massive losses due to the counterfeit money.
Yet all of that... was something Bu Eunseol had fabricated?
"Command Lord."
Great Monk Gonghye, the Head Seat of the Bodhidharma Court, who came in place of the Shaolin Abbot, glared with wide eyes.
"Do you even know the meaning of the words you just spoke, Command Lord?"
What if it became known that Bu Eunseol had intentionally caused the counterfeit money incident?
The Emperor's wrath would be unbearable, and Bu Eunseol would be beheaded for treason.
Furthermore, not only would the martial world be distrusted in the future.
All the heads present here would be branded as accomplices with Bu Eunseol.
"Are you truly unaware of what will happen if this matter becomes known?"
Gonghye, throwing off even his dignity as a high monk of Shaolin, stomped his feet and shouted with veins bulging on his neck.
"To catch a single Jungson family, you deceived the world and even enraged the Emperor?"
As if his anger was unquenched, he roared.
"Are you saying you will push all factions of the martial world into a pit of fire and have us all die together right now?"
"The Jungson family has come down for generations, controlling the orthodox path, unorthodox path, demonic path, merchant world, and even the government."
Bu Eunseol spoke with a calm expression.
"If the information of this council leaks out through those spies... ultimately, all plans will fail."
A bright light flared in his eyes as he examined the people inside.
"That is, unless everyone attending here intends to keep the secret perfectly."
Half of the people attending this Grand Assembly.
Rather than thinking of cooperating with Bu Eunseol at the risk of their lives and proceeding with the work together.
Merely intended to determine their future direction through the information he possessed.
But having heard such a story.
Apart from feeling extreme anger and betrayal, two choices remained.
To inform on Bu Eunseol.
Or to forcibly join this plan.
What if this fact were revealed even in the future?
They would be branded as accomplices along with Bu Eunseol.
Therefore, they had no choice but to risk their lives to keep their mouths shut and join the plan with their life on the line.
"Martial Soul Command Lord."
At that time, the Patriarch of the Namgung family, Namgung Jeong, spoke with a regrettable expression.
"The reason you plotted such a thing must be to increase the success rate of striking the Jungson family this time and to maintain perfect secrecy, but."
He shook his head.
"Because of this, the orthodox path will never trust you again. Are you saying you can bear that?"
Namgung Jeong continued speaking with a serious expression.
"Furthermore, when everything is over, if someone informs on you to the imperial palace, we will become traitors together."
"Such a thing will not happen."
Bu Eunseol made a shocking statement.
"If such a thing occurs, I will take all the blame."
"Are you serious?"
"I am."
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
"You may criticize me, or you may inform on me. If we can completely exterminate the Jungson family that kidnaps children..."
Then, with a resolute gaze, he looked at the gathered personnel.
"I will gladly lay down my life."
A heavy silence flowed in the hall.
Incomprehensible (不可解).
Because they could not fathom what Bu Eunseol was thinking at all.
―He is definitely plotting something.
His martial prowess transcended generations, standing shoulder to shoulder with the absolute strongest of the current era.
And he had handled matters unanimously agreed upon as impossible with far-sighted and profound stratagems.
Yet...
―Just what is that atmosphere.
The place where Bu Eunseol stood.
Felt like a boundlessly high peak that no one could approach.
His eyes were calm, but a distant solitude spread within them. There was neither joy nor sorrow.
He was a stranger standing alone on the borderline of light and darkness, forsaken by both worlds.
Upon facing his gaze tinged with sorrow and an atmosphere filled with agony.
The people fell into a strange sentimentality.
Even if the world is vast.
The emptiness and bitter regret of a martial artist.
Grief and sorrow...
Who on earth would understand that pain?
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